Rail officials in Congo have confirmed that at least 60 people have been killed and over 300 have been injured after a train accident in Brazzaville, South of Congo.

Officials have said that the accident occurred in the early morning hours of Tuesday when the train bound to Brazzaville left the town of Pointe Noire.

Witnesses of at Dolisie and Pointe Noire rushed to the rail stations as the news emerged of the crash frantically waiting news of relatives and loved ones.

Joseph Sauveur El Bez, managing director of the Chemin de fer Congo-ocean (CFCO) company told the AFP news agency that “There was a grave train accident during the night, there are dozens of victims and injured.”

Bez added that “the material damage was also very severe” and “all steps have been taken to organize relief.”

Bez also said that many of the dead were taken to morgues in Pointe Noir and Tchitondi while the injured, some in critical condition were taken to nearby hospitals.

The train is believed to have derailed between Bilinga and Tchitondi while passing a corner and resulted in four carriages filled with people dropping into a ravine.

The Congo army were also called in to help the people trapped inside the carriages in the remote area of the country.

The CFCO line which runs some 300 miles (510 kilometers) is the main link between the capital Brazzaville and Pointe Noire following the Congo River.

The train line which was built during the 1920s and 1930s while the French were the colonial power in the country is reported to have been poorly maintained.